


Christmas Turkey (With Orange Slices)

by squireofgeekdom



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Family Feels, Family's more than blood, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 08:20:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11963448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squireofgeekdom/pseuds/squireofgeekdom
Summary: Leo at the Bartlet family Christmas dinner, featuring the finer points of cooking Christmas turkeys and a reminder about family





	Christmas Turkey (With Orange Slices)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kamemor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamemor/gifts).



> I’d like to preempt this by saying that I don’t actually know if serving holiday turkey with orange slices is actually a Thing I just needed a silly holiday food thing for Jed to be pedantic about.

“What are you doing?”

Leo turns around to look at Jed, “Putting the turkey in the oven?”

“No, no no no. You haven’t added the orange slices, have you?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Well it’s not Christmas turkey without orange slices, is it?”

“I’ve never had Christmas turkey with orange slices -”

“Sure you have, when you’ve been here for Christmas.”

“Well, I didn’t remember the orange slices, so they can’t be -”

“Ah, that’s because you don’t know the history of the orange slices. In the year -”

“Oh, God, why do I know you?” Leo sighs. 

“You did volunteer to cook with him,” Abbey says as she opens the door, a bag of groceries in her other hand.

“Abbey, please tell me you’ve brought something edible, before I get a lecture on the history of citrus.”

“Leo here doesn’t think Christmas turkey needs orange slices.”

Abbey rolls her eyes and looks at Leo. “It’s an old Bartlet family tradition, believe me, there’s no arguing with him when he’s like this.”

“Yup.”

“Did he get started on the origins of the orange in the United States?”

“I think your arrival just preempted that particular history lesson.”

“I notice that both of you are talking about me as though I’m not here - no no, don’t stop, I’ll just take this time to slice oranges, so we can eat our Christmas turkey like a civilized family.”

Abbey laughs. “I’ll slice the oranges, you two go help the girls with the tree.”

Somehow, they get the tree inside without anyone ending up in the hospital, though it’s a close thing. While the comforting smells of a holiday meal in the oven waft from the kitchen, Jed Bartlet holds court on the pagan history of Christmas trees and their various decorations, and the Bartlet family tells stories of each ornament as it goes up on the tree. 

After they’ve placed the star on the top of the tree, Leo escapes a particularly long winded conversation about Zoe’s course selection to check on the turkey and the pies in the oven.

He’s just closed the oven door when Jed leans in through the doorway. “C’mon, we’re getting a family picture with the tree.”

“Do you want me to take it?” He asks, nonplussed.

Jed seems just as befuddled by his response. “What? No, it’s on a timer.”

Leo shakes his head. “I shouldn’t be -”

“Leo.” He says, drawing his name out into two syllables, impatient and affectionate at the same time. “You’re family. Now get in here.”

“Alright,” He says, his hands raised in mock-surrender, and lets himself be dragged in among Abbey and Jed and the girls.

(He grudgingly admits that the turkey does taste better with the orange slices.)

**Author's Note:**

> From a prompt from Kamemor: For the prompt meme: 7 ("Oh, God, why do I know you?”) for Leo McGarry and Jed Bartlet


End file.
